


Bound to You

by wilddragonflying



Series: Roleplays [11]
Category: CW Network RPF, Supernatural RPF
Genre: A/B/O verse, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Arranged Marriage, Knotting, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-14
Updated: 2013-09-14
Packaged: 2017-12-26 13:55:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/966716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wilddragonflying/pseuds/wilddragonflying
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jared's the alpha who can't bond, and Jensen's the omega who wants to make it to the top. When these two bind themselves to each other, neither could have predicted the consequences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bound to You

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another rp with impalagirl! Go send love to her on tumblr; this prompt was all her idea. :)

" _Jared._ "

Jared jumped, the dust cloth hanging limply from his hand as he whirled to face the voice. He swallowed, hard, when he recognized Aunt Silia. She was a tiny woman, but imposing none the less—like a battle hammer. "Hi, Aunt Seely," he murmured, dropping his gaze.

" _What_ do you think you're doing?" she demanded, her voice icy as she crossed her arms.

"D-Dusting, Aunt," Jared stammered. "The statues were getting dusty, and since Mom's not here, I thought—"

"You thought you'd just further humiliate your family by acting like an omega, is that it?" Even at nine years old, Jared knew that alphas, even young ones, shouldn't be almost reduced to tears by their beta aunts.

"It was just a bit of dust—" Jared's words were cut off by a stinging slap to his right cheek, and he staggered back, dropping the dust cloth as his hand came up to press against the stinging flesh. He whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut; once Silia got in one good hit, she wouldn't stop, not with words or blows.

***  
Jared shot upright, gasping for breath, his eyes stinging. Even now, at twenty-five, the woman still had a hold on him, and he hated it. He was a full-grown alpha, dammit. He shouldn't still be so influenced by a woman who never knew what it was like to be either alpha _or_ omega, even if she was mated to an alpha.

Reflecting on his still-mateless status, though, Jared had to admit he was—how could he mate with an omega, when omegas were the source of all of his trouble?

***  
"Did you think about what I said to you last night, Jensen?"

Jensen groaned and dropped into the chair opposite his father's desk. "Yeah, Dad, I thought about it, and I still don't understand it," he grumbled. 

Alan Ackles raised an eyebrow. "Son, I explained it all to you last night. I can't leave you the company unless—"

"Unless I mate," Jensen interrupted. "But I still don't get _why_. I'm fully capable of running this company without some hotshot alpha looking over my shoulder. You know that."

"Yes, Jensen, I do. But nobody else does."

Jensen looked indignant. "Like hell nobody else does! They all know who I am; they know what I can do. But what, that all goes out of the window because I go into heat twice a year? That's not fair."

"I'm not saying that it's fair," Alan sighed. "I'm saying that that's the way it is. The board won't tolerate an omega taking over. It doesn't matter how strong or career-oriented you are, or how much you've proved yourself in the past; they'll see you as weak and incapable. I can't change that. What I _can_ do, is make an amendment to the will that states that whoever you decide to mate can't interfere in the business. Only you, me and your mate need to know about it. And once I'm gone, and the board can't contest you inheriting the company, _then_ you can start to prove all of those conservative bastards wrong."

"Dad—"

Alan didn't let him finish. "I've always told you that I believe in you," he reminded his son. "You can change the world, Jensen. But until you change it, you need an alpha at your side in order to do so."

Jensen stared at his father, torn between feeling awed and outraged. He didn't get a chance to pick a side, however; just then the phone on Alan's desk rang. He hit the speaker button. 

"Yes, Sam?"

"Mr. Ackles, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Padalecki is here to see Jensen about the takeover," came the slightly tinny voice of Samantha Ferris, Alan's assistant. Jensen grimaced.

"Thanks Sam, I'll send him right out." Once Alan hung up, he turned back to Jensen. "I know you'll do me proud in this just as you have in everything else," he said, and Jensen got the feeling that he wasn't just talking about the takeover of Padalecki's company. He nodded and turned to leave the room, but just as he reached the door, Alan called out his name. "I should probably warn you that I've mentioned the conditions of my will to Gerald. He might have come with a proposal for you."

Jensen's jaw hit the carpet. "What?!"

Jared hadn't reacted much when his father told him that he was going to as good as be a bargaining chip in the Ackles deal. He'd shrugged, commented, "At least then you won't have to listen to all of those comments about your emotionally retarded son anymore," and accepted it. It could end up working out fairly well, if he played it right—Jared would never bond, he couldn't. The Ackles man, Jensen, was an omega who just needed an alpha who would let him do basically anything. Jared was fine with that, as long as it would get all those meddling relatives and family "friends" off of his back.

Jared followed his father into the office, settling into a chair on his father's right. Gerry Padalecki was the head of PadaCorp, a company dedicated to creating and distributing affordable technology of every kind. Recently, however, AcklesTech had been making noises about a takeover, and Gerry had finally come up with a plan: The CEO's son, Jensen, needed a mate if he was ever to become CEO himself. Jared was a mateless alpha. Jared would mate Jensen, and Jensen would become an equal partner in PadaCorp, with the option of buying out Gerry's share after the elder Padalecki retired, seeing as no other Padalecki wanted the business.

"Mr. Ackles, a pleasure," Gerry greeted, extending a hand.

"The pleasure's all mine, Mr. Padalecki," Jensen said smoothly, shaking the offered hand. He completely ignored the guy Gerald had brought with him. "Let's get straight to business, shall we? My legal advisor, Mr. Kane, will be here in a few minutes with the relevant paperwork. A few signatures here and there will allow PadaCorp to be absorbed into AcklesTech, and then you can be on your way."

"About that," Gerry said, a slow smile curving his lips. Jared had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. "I have a proposal for you to consider."

Jared knew the other man—Jensen—had to know what was coming. He decided to head his father off at the pass. "Long story short, you need a mate, I don't have one, and have no interest in bonding—as I assume you do, seeing as how you're nearly thirty and still unmated—so we'll become mates. You get to eventually become CEO, and immediately become an equal partner in PadaCorp. Once my father retires, you can buy out his half of the company. It's a win-win scenario."

Jensen blinked. He'd heard about Jared Padalecki, of course—everyone had—but he'd never met him. Jared was the alpha who refused to act like one, and who had up to now also refused to take a mate. Thus far the circles in which they moved had yet to decide who was more shameful: Jared, or Jensen. Jensen liked to think that Jared was winning that one. 

"Why would you agree to that?" Jensen asked suspiciously. "It all sounds very nice for me, and for your father, but if you have no interest in bonding, why would you want to mate at all?"

Jared jerked his thumb at his father. "Gets me out from under his disappointed gaze," he said, shrugging. Gerry glared at him, but Jared merely raised an eyebrow, refusing to back down.

Jensen had to admit that he was impressed. Everyone said that Jared Padalecki was a pussy, but there was definitely something in him, something that whispered _alpha_. It appealed to Jensen, who knew all too well what it was like to have to fight against not only what society deemed appropriate for you but also your own conflicting nature. He turned back to Gerald. "I'm willing to consider your proposal," he said slowly. "But I can't give you my answer right now. Would you feel comfortable leaving Jared and I alone, so that we could discuss the terms that would pertain to our relationship?"

Gerry smirked; Jared knew that his father was silently praising his genius plan. "Of course," he said graciously, getting to his feet. "Let me know what you decide."

Jared waited until the door had swung shut behind Gerry before snorting. "Old bastard," he muttered, shifting in his seat. "What terms?" he asked, addressing Jensen.

Jensen sighed. "You tell me," he said. "I think you know that I don't have a choice in that I have to mate, and that as you're unwilling to make a bond, you're my best option. You came to me with this proposal, so tell me what you want from this and we'll see where I stand."

Jared hummed thoughtfully. "I can't bond—I am literally unable to form a bond. I'll respect you as long as you respect me, I won't interfere with your business, you won't interfere with mine. I'll reserve the usual alpha rights, no more, no less. As for children... Well. The ceremony will be arranged for the day before your next heat, as per usual. I will help you through heats, but whether or not you wish to take suppressants is up to you." As of yet, no effective birth control method had been developed; an omega's heat was literal, and burned out any drugs in the omega's system, unless suppressants were administered early enough. Suppressants were expensive and unreliable, however, and more often than not were more trouble than they were worth.

That all sounded reasonable to Jensen, but a frisson of panic slid down his spine all the same. Good God, if he went through with this, he would have to have kids. "Do you want children?" he asked slowly. "I know you just said I can take suppressants, but will you eventually want children from this?"

Jared shrugged. "I'd care for them, if we had any," he replied. "But I'm not desperate for kids."

Jensen mulled this over, and hit another snag. "Your alpha rights, to own me, my property and my children," he began. "Would you exercise them? I'm not exactly your typical submissive omega, as I'm sure you know. I'm going to want control over my life, and I don't want you overruling me in the company when it becomes mine. And it will become _mine_ ," he added forcefully. "If we agree to this, my father will make sure of that."

Jared shrugged. "I won't exercise them unless necessary. I know you don't know me, or have any reason to trust me, but I don't want or need your money or company. I'm well enough off on my own." He studied the omega sitting across from him, wondered how his life had gotten to this point. He was considering _mating_ , something he'd sworn off when he was eighteen and old enough to do so.

He'd heard about the Ackles son, an unmated omega who'd managed to rise to one of the most powerful positions in a company, in line to become CEO after his father stepped down. Maybe he was the best match for Jared; an omega who could stand on his own two feet, one who wasn't dependent on his alpha.

Jensen nodded. "Okay then. I can have that put into the contract. Not very traditional, but my legal team is good. The best, even." He chuckled. "What about bonding? You don't—I'm sorry, you _can't_ do it—" and Jensen was going to have to ask about that once he'd gotten to know Jared better "—but do you want people to think we have? What happens if one of us meets someone we want to bond?"

Jared couldn't help it; he laughed. "Then we divorce, simple enough. Bonds require more-than-friendly feelings; romantic feels. I don't do romance. Everyone knows that, so no. We don't have to pretend to be bonded, unless your father's will requires it. Actually, I'd rather we didnt pretend.  I assume you've read enough, or heard about enough, of those cheesy dime store romance novels to know what happens then."

Jensen smiled. "Well okay then. I think I can work with that. My next heat isn't for another few months, so how about I postpone the takeover of PadaCorp until then and we get to know each other? If we think that we can tolerate each other for the foreseeable future, we can go through with the ceremony and your father can keep half of his company."

Jared grinned and shook Jensen's hand. "Sounds like a plan."

***  
Jensen fiddled with his cufflinks for what must have been the fifth time in as many minutes, and winced when he received a fond smile from his mother. She thought he was nervous, but he wasn't. He'd spent the last three months getting to know Jared, and he'd agreed to the ceremony at the end of them because it was practical, not because he was the loved-up puppy Donna seemed to think he was.

"Fidgeting won't get Jared here any quicker, sweetheart," she cooed. "He isn't even late yet. He'll be here."

Jensen rolled his eyes. Of course Jared would be here. The contracts had been drawn up and signed last week; he _had_ to be here. And if there was anything Jensen had learned about Jared in the three months since they'd met, it was that he was punctual. Prompt. Never early, but never late—always exactly on time.

Actually, he hadn't really learned much else. He and Jared got along, certainly, and they had quite a few things in common, but the personal stuff Jared kept close to his chest. It was strange. In Jensen's experience, alphas tended to be open books, strutting around and showing off in front of a potential mate—but not Jared. As it turned out, the rumours about him were largely true: he was an alpha who acted like an omega. Very quiet, very introverted, very unwilling to draw attention to himself. However, Jensen didn't share the view that the rest of society seemed to have. He didn't think Jared was broken, at least not in the way everyone else did. Something terrible had happened to Jared to make him this way, Jensen was sure of it. That, more than anything, had been why Jensen agreed to go through with the ceremony.

In a gesture most uncharacteristic of an omega, Jensen was trying to protect Jared.

Once Jared arrived, the ceremony began. Jared waited at the altar while Jensen was led up the aisle by his father. Once Jensen's hand had been placed in Jared's, the official had begun with the vows, Jared and then Jensen repeating them. Then the priest spoke the sentence that would tie Jared and Jensen together for their forseeable future.

"Alpha, you may claim your mate."

Jared turned to Jensen, taking the smaller man's jaw in one hand, pleased when Jensen offered himself, tilting his head back and his chin slightly to the side, exposing the long expanse of his neck. If this mating had taken place even two decades before, Jared would have laid a full claim—a mark that would mar his omega's neck for the rest of his life, branded him as Jared's. But these were more modern times, so all Jared had to do was bite and suck a mark into Jensen's flesh that would last for a while, at least through Jensen's heat.

Once he was done, Jared pulled back, nodding satisfactorily at the bruise on his omega, letting his fingertips trail over the abused flesh.

"May your mating be long and prosperous. Alphas, betas, and omegas, I present to you, Alpha and Omega Padalecki."

Jensen turned to smile at the people who had gathered to watch the ceremony—just his and Jared's families—and was immediately blinded by the flash on his mother's camera. The distraction was welcome, however; it allowed him to ignore the fact that his knees had turned to jelly when Jared had bitten him. This was a mating of convenience, _nothing_ else.

"I'm proud of you, son," Alan murmured when they walked past. Donna was too busy crying to say anything and Mackenzie was too busy eyeing up Jared's older brother to pay the 'happy couple' any attention, so Jensen ignored them and walked on. 

"Welcome to the family, Jensen," was what Gerry Padalecki had to say; "You made the right choice." Jensen ignored this, too.

Instead, he tugged on Jared's hand, which was still clasped in his own, until the alpha bent to hear him. "Can we just get out of here?"

Jared nodded. "Of course." He tossed his mother a grin, and Sherry, bless her heart, immediately understood, distracting everyone so that Jared could lead his mate out of the building and to his car. They'd be staying at Jared's house, now.

The drive was quiet, both males lost in their thoughts. It wasn't until he was pulling into his driveway that Jared managed to place the odd scent in the air. "You took suppressants," he observed, raising an eyebrow to look at his mate, his gaze catching on the mark darkening Jensen's skin.

Jensen shrugged, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "We can still mate, but I don't think either of us are ready to have kids," he explained. "Maybe next season."

"Hmm," Jared hummed noncommitally. As soon as they made it to the front door, barking started up from inside, and Jared let a soft smile curve his mouth as he opened the door. "Hey, kids," he crooned, getting down to hug and pet Harley and Sadie as they jumped all over him excitedly. "Miss me?"

Harley and Sadie licked Jared in response, and then froze when they realised that an unfamiliar scent was invading their home. After a moment's hesitation, they flew at Jensen, almost knocking him over in their eagerness to say hello. Jensen had known about Jared's dogs, of course, but he hadn't expected them to be so big—or so excitable. They were kind of sweet though, so he let them sniff and headbutt and lick him until they were satisfied that their own scents were all over him. "I guess you're not the only one to claim me today," Jensen joked when he finally made it over the threshold, the dogs still harassing both him and Jared. "I think they own me now. I feel kind of violated."

Jared grinned, fully relaxed like he'd never been in Jensen's presence before. "You smell like me; they think you're pack now," he explained. "C'mon, I'll show you around. You want your own room?" In here, in his house, his territory, Jared felt more at ease, freer to be himself.

Jensen actually thought about this for a moment, before he remembered— _marriage of convenience_. "Uh, yeah, if that's okay," he answered. "My own space might be nice."

Jared gave Jensen an odd look. "Why wouldn't it be okay? I'm not one of those alphas who's going to demand my right to your body any time I want it." Not that Jensen didn't have a nice body; he did. It was a _really_ nice body, one that Jared wanted to do _things_ to... And he could, he would be perfectly within his rights as alpha to demand Jensen yield to him, or even take it forcibly, and he _might_ get a metaphorical slap on the wrist. But Jared didn't want that; he didn't want to be an overbearing alpha. "C'mon; there's a spare bedroom upstairs you can have."

"Thanks," was all Jensen said, but it was heartfelt, grateful. Most other alphas wouldn't be so accommodating. When they reached the top of the stairs, he added, "I'm not going to ask you to be celibate. We can still... do whatever. I just want somewhere of my own." Honestly, Jensen hoped that Jared wouldn't be celibate. He was _hot_ , and marriage of convenience or not—suppressants or not—Jensen wanted a piece of that. Just not right now.

Jared raised one eyebrow cockily. "Do whatever? Such eloquency, Jensen, you flatter me," he teased. He pushed open the door to the spare bedroom, waving a hand. "Bathroom's through that door, closet's over there, and my bedroom's next door. Doesn't connect to yours in any way, so this space is all yours, do whatever you want with it, as long as there's no lasting damage."

"Oh, really?" Jensen asked, pouting. "I wanted to set fire to that half of the room, and I was gonna flood the bathroom." He grinned up at Jared before moving further into the room to put his bag on the bed. The rest of his stuff would be brought to the house next week, after Jensen's 'heat', and his and Jared's honeymoon period, was over.

Jared laughed. "Maybe if we end up moving," he promised. "Then the new owners can deal with it." He stretched, then swore when he saw it was past eight. "Shit, I've got a class in forty-seven minutes, I still have to get the computer set up. You good for the night?" Jared taught online classes for a nearby university; it was a job that let him stay at home and rarely deal with people who expected him to be some blustering alpha.

Jensen nodded. "You want me to make us some dinner?" he offered. 

Jared nodded distractedly. "Yeah, that'd be good. Anything's fine, I'm not picky. I'll be in the office." He turned and headed back downstairs, ruffling Harley and Sadie's fur as he passed them, walking into the office and booting up his computer quickly.

Jensen watched Jared go for a few moments before following him downstairs and moving into the kitchen. He wasn't surprised that Jared was working—the night of the mating ceremony wasn't anything special; it was the week after, when the omega was in heat and needed seeing to, that both parties got time off to spend together—but he was surprised by Jared's eagerness to get started so early. Either he couldn't wait to get away from Jensen, which seemed unlikely given what they'd done that day, or he was just that passionate about his job. Jensen found he liked that idea.

Once he'd acquainted himself with Jared's kitchen, he set about making dinner. He chose a simple pasta dish that was quick and would keep for Jared to heat up later, and ate by himself while he listened to the dogs snuffling around outside the office door. Once he'd washed up and put a tupperware container with the leftovers into the fridge, complete with a stickynote telling Jared how to heat it up with a cheeky little wink face at the bottom, Jensen found the dog food and distributed some into the bowls by the back door. The desperate clickity-clack of nails on the hardwood floor told him that the dogs had smelled what he was doing, and he was quick to get out of the way before they bowled him over in their haste to get to the food.

Pleased with himself, despite feeling a bit put out at the fact that he had apparently become a typical omega housekeeper not even a day into being mated, Jensen let the dogs out to do their business before deciding it was time to turn in. Sensing that they were about to be abandoned, Sadie returned to the office door while Harley tried to follow him up the stairs. A firm reprimand had him going back to wait for his master with Sadie, but Jensen was still smiling when he got into bed a few minutes later. It wouldn't be so bad here.

Jared wanted to throw his computer out a window.

Seriously, this was fucking _trigonometry_ he was teaching. Something these people should have been taught in _high school._ Who the hell was this stupid?! All the kids had to do was _read_ the damn powerpoints he'd made  & they'd ace his class.

By the time Jared was done, it was going on midnight. He rubbed his eyes, stumbling into the kitchen. He smiled when he saw the pasta sitting in the fridge, quickly heating up a portion and gulping it down, burning his tongue in the process. Afterwards, he whistled softly for the hounds, grinning as they bounded up the stairs in front of him and raced for his bedroom door, Harley nearly missing the turn and running into the doorjamb. He hesitated outside of Jensen's door, but then decided against knocking; Jensen had probably gone to sleep a while ago.

Jared climbed into his own bed, wriggling between and shoving against the dogs to get comfortable, and chuckled to himself as he turned off the bedroom light. He was a mated alpha. How strange could his life get?

***  
When Jensen woke up the next morning, he knew immediately that something was off. He felt slow and sluggish, kind of like his head was full of cotton wool—perhaps he was getting a cold. _Great_. When he finally dragged himself out of bed and down the stairs, he found Jared cooking breakfast, the dogs watching him intently as though they expected to get some. "What are you doing?" he snorted as he sat down at the table. "You're an alpha."

Jared broke a sausage in half, tossing one to each dog, who snapped it up eagerly. "I've had to cook for myself for a while now," he pointed out. "And I get up early. Besides, you're the one who didn't want to be treated like a stereotypical omega. I'm not going to expect you to wait on me hand and foot."

Jensen inclined his head. "Sorry," he murmured. "I'm just not used to it. Every mated alpha in my family leaves everything to their omegas or betas. I appreciate it, though. And that smells really good."

Jared nodded. "I know how it works in a traditional family, but we already know neither of us are traditional." He quickly flipped the eggs before rolling the next batch of sausages, making sure they didn't burn. He transferred the food to plates and handed one off to Jensen. "Hope you like your omelettes with gooey cheese. If you don't, we're in for a rough time," he said with a teasing glint in his eyes.

Jared needn't have worried; the first bite had Jensen's eyes rolling back in his head. "Oh my God, this is _so good_ ," he moaned, his expression sinful. "You're on kitchen duty from now on. I'm never cooking again."

Jared laughed. "Momma taught me well, unlike—" He cut himself off. "Never mind. How was your first night here?"

Jensen raised an eyebrow, but he didn't pursue the matter. "It was good," he said instead, smiling. "I slept really well. I'm sorry that I didn't wait up for you, but I was exhausted. How did your class go?"

"Urgh, don't get me started," Jared groaned. "How the hell can university students be so stupid at fairly simple math? I mean, it's things they should have learned in high school!" He distracted himself with food, eating hurriedly. "I've got papers and things to grade, but they shouldn't take too long. Then we can hang out some more, maybe watch some television or play some video games or something?"

Jensen nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good," he agreed. "I can take the dogs for a walk while you grade your papers, get out of your hair."

Jared grinned gratefully. "Thanks, that would really help; they can be demanding little bastards sometimes." He got up, grabbing Jensen's now-clean plate and dropping a quick, thoughtless kiss to the top of Jensen's head. He laughed as he pulled back, shoving Harley to the side with a foot. "Move, you great lump of fur, I gotta clean."

Jensen was surprised at the affectionate gesture, but the fog inside his head was clearing a little bit and he didn't have the heart to question Jared's behaviour. "I'm gonna go for a shower," he announced, standing up. "And then I'll take the dogs. Anything you need me to grab from the store while we're out?"

Jared hummed thoughtfully, squirting some dish soap onto the dishes and washing them quickly. "Not that I can think of right off hand. I'll text you if I think of something." He relaxed into the rhythm of cleaning dishes, enjoying the feeling of the soapy water.

Jensen showered quickly and dressed in some sweats and a baggy t-shirt. He'd thought that he was feeling better in the kitchen, but as it turned out he was feeling worse now. Definitely coming down with something, and he didn't want to feel miserable in uncomfortable clothes.

When he got downstairs again he found the dogs' leashes laid out for him, the dogs waiting impatiently beside them. Once all three were ready to go, he called a goodbye to Jared and headed out. Time to get to know the neighbourhood.

Jared heard the door close, and he chuckled quietly to himself. Living with Jensen would be... interesting. It was clear that while Jensen himself was untraditional, he hadn't expected Jared to so willingly take on what was deemed the omega's roles. Jared frowned at that; why did everyone find it so difficult to believe that maybe an alpha was just as content to cook and clean and... and Jesus, fucking _nest_ , just as much as any barefoot-and-pregnant omega?

***  
By the time Jensen came back from walking the dogs, he felt like shit. Exhausted, achy, and a vague itching sensation under his skin that he wasn't thinking about. Whatever was wrong with him, it eased almost as soon as he shut the door behind him, so he figured that it might be hayfever. He didn't believe it, but he was willing to pretend for now.

"Jared?" he called, unclipping Harley's and Sadie's leashes and letting them run through the house to their water bowls. Their thundering footsteps made his words kind of unnecessary, but he continued anyway. "We're uh, home."

Jared came out of the office. "I can see," he said, amused. Then he froze as the scent hit him. It was the most enticing thing he'd ever smelled, and made his dick twitch. He swallowed, his eyes fastening on Jensen, taking in the slight sheen of his mate's skin. "Jen, when did you take your suppressants?" he asked quietly.

Jensen tensed. "Not long after we met," he mumbled defensively, taking a step back from Jared. "Don't. It's not—I'm not in heat. Just ignore it."

Jared raised his hands placatingly. "Okay, okay. You wanna watch some tv? Think there's a Criminal Minds marathon on today."

Jensen wanted to say no, to get out of there and lock himself in his room for the rest of the week, but he refused to be beaten by this. It wasn't a heat; the suppressants were just having strange side effects. He could handle it. "Sure," he answered, forcing a smile. "I love Criminal Minds."

Jared smiled. "All right. I'll grab some snacks and drinks. Wanna go start the tv?"

"Sure." Jensen wandered into the living room and grabbed the remote, curling up at the end of the couch to flip through the channels until he found what he was looking for. He chuckled when Jared came into the room with the biggest bowl of popcorn he'd ever seen. "Hungry?"

Jared gave a guilty grin, settling down in the middle of the couch, the bowl between them. "I eat like a horse," he admitted, chuckling.

Jensen had to admit that he was surprised Jared was opting to sit so close, but he wasn't going to complain. It was kind of nice, and it eased the itching— _not_ heat—beneath his skin. "Don't worry about it," he answered, grabbing a handful of popcorn and tossing it into his mouth. "I think I can give you a run for your money."

Jared raised an eyebrow. "Good. I like my men healthy and competitive," he smirked, grabbing a handful of popcorn for himself as he reached for one of the sodas he'd also brought in from the kitchen, handing it to Jensen before grabbing the other for himself.

They had a pleasant afternoon, side by side in front of the TV, and when the dogs decided to join them and force their way in between their two humans, Jensen felt a little pang at being just that much further away from Jared. He ignored it though, and after their marathon was over they made dinner together while Jensen resolutely did not think about the fact that every time he touched Jared, the itching eased just a little. Two days into this mating thing and he was already getting very good at compartmentalising.

He went to bed not long after dinner, claiming to have a headache. It wasn't a lie, he truly felt like shit, and he could feel Jared's knowing gaze burning into the back of his head as he left the room. Because he was a true gentleman, however, Jared didn't follow. Jensen didn't know if he was pleased about that or not.

Jared let out the breath he'd been holding once Jensen was upstairs and had shut the door behind him. Jesus, but it had been _extremely_ difficult keeping his hands off of his mate today. All day, the smell of Jensen in heat had been growing stronger, and while Jared may be an emotionally stunted alpha, he had no such physical problems; he'd been half-hard all day, just from the proximity of an omega in heat. However, he wasn't going to touch Jensen, not like that, until Jensen asked for help, or if the heat got too unbearable. _For either of us,_ he amended silently. He had the feeling that Jensen was _not_ going to be a happy camper during his heat if he tried to go it alone.

Jared was right. Jensen woke up the next morning sweating and shaking and miserable, and he wanted to die. God, it had never been this bad before. The flu-like symptoms from yesterday must have come from the suppressants, but while he knew that they didn't always work, he'd never heard that they made the heat stronger. He was burning up, and he didn't need to pull the covers back to know that he had soaked through the sweats he'd worn to bed. Jensen whimpered and buried his face in his hands. This was not happening to him. 

Jared was woken by the sound of Harley scratching at the door down the hall—Jensen's door—and whining. A split second later, he understood why; Jensen's heat was _insanely_ strong. Jared could smell it from all the way down the hall and through the walls. He cursed under his breath, throwing his covers off and walking down the hall, snarling at Harley to get him to move out of the way.

Jared knocked on the door, jiggling the knob. It was unlocked, but he didn't open it yet. "Jen? Jen, I can smell you from all the way down the hall. You've even got Harley worked up, and he doesn’t have any balls. The suppressants aren't working, man."

"I'd noticed," Jensen snapped, rolling over onto his front and trying to pretend that he wasn't instinctively presenting for his alpha. "If you can't handle it, fuck off. I'll just stay in my room until it's over."

Jared sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He'd been right; Jensen was going to be a pissy little bitch. "I can help you, Jensen. It'll help if you're knotted, and we're mates."

" _No_!" Jensen snarled, and then immediately regretted it. Jared was only trying to help him. He tried again. "Look, I just—I don't want to. I've been dealing with this for years, and I haven't bent over for anyone yet. Don't plan to start doing it now."

Jared raised an eyebrow; Jensen had never had an alpha help him through a heat before? "Fine. I'll bring some food up, okay? Don't leave this room—like I said, you've even got Harley worked up.”

Jensen groaned into his pillow. "I'm sorry," he muttered, just loud enough for Jared to hear. "I don't know why it's this strong. I'm gonna take a shower and see if I can cool it down some, okay?"

"All right," Jared said, turning from the door and taking a deep breath through his mouth, sternly telling his dick to calm down. He headed downstairs, fed the dogs, let them out, and made some oatmeal with some fruit on the side. He put it on a serving tray and carried it up to Jensen's room, pausing outside the door and listening. The shower was still running, so he quietly slipped through the door, moving towards the nightstand to set the tray down.

Jensen, completely unaware of Jared's presence in the next room, let out a low, needy moan. In the past, heats had given him a mild fever, made him more than a little uncomfortable and turned him on pretty much constantly—but it had been bearable. He'd heard of omegas going completely wild with it, desperate for a knot, but Jensen had always prided himself on having more restraint than that. Some days were worse than others, of course, and on those days he was used to writhing in his bed, fucking himself on his fingers and experiencing numerous, incredible orgasms while he soaked the sheets with both sweat and slick. Most of the time, however, he was able to function normally, though he stayed home from work. 

This was different. He'd cooled off a bit since getting into the shower, but the fire in his gut was still raging. Currently he had three fingers fucking in and out of his hole and his other hand pulling on his cock, but it wasn't enough. He'd come several times already without gaining any form of relief. Logically, he knew that he needed to stop, to calm down, but right now he was just too close to do anything of the sort. He came with a frustrated whine, come splashing against the tiles and another load of slick coating his hand, and even as his hips jerked in the throes of pleasure he knew that it was hopeless.

Jared heard Jensen's low groan of release, and his own groan of frustration left him. He _really_ needed to get out of this room, or else he was going to walk in there and—

_No,_ he firmly reprimanded himself. _You are an alpha. You can control yourself and wait for him to ask you for help._

Jensen emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, completely naked because he couldn't stand to feel a towel against his skin. He was still hard, and from the moment be opened the door his thighs were wet with slick; apparently even the scent of his mate was enough to send his body into overdrive. "You can't be here," he said to Jared as he flattened himself against the wall, trying to come across as threatening but only sounding desperate and utterly insincere. "Get out."

Jared took in the flush of Jensen's skin, the glaze in his eyes, and the slight whimper in his voice, and let out a sigh. "Jen, why are you doing this to yourself?" he asked quietly, moving so he was closer to the door, but not leaving just yet. "Have you seen yourself? This isn't healthy."

Jensen wanted to protest, to insist that being _healthy_ had nothing to do with it—heats were heats; a strong one wasn't going to do him in—but he was a little bit too dizzy to put that kind of thing into words. Instead, he took a few shaky steps toward Jared until he was right in front of him. "Your scent," he whispered, pressing his face into the crook of Jared's neck. "It's so good..." Whereas yesterday being so close would have eased his symptoms, today the skin-on-skin contact just made them worse. Jensen's knees buckled. "Fuck me," he begged as he fell against Jared. "Please, Alpha, I need your knot."

Jared caught Jensen easily, hissing as his omega's naked skin dragged across the entirely too many layers of clothes—even if it was just one shirt and some pajama pants—he had on. He fumbled behind himself, shutting and locking the door, before hauling Jensen up for a kiss, picking the smaller man up and wrapping his legs around his waist as he carried Jensen to the bed and set him down, still not breaking the kiss.

"Gonna knot you so good," he promised, his voice a low growl as he yanked his shirt off over his head. "Gonna fill you keep, breed you, make you _mine._ "

"Yours," Jensen echoed, pawing at Jared. God, he felt incredible beneath his hands, all that glorious skin covering such hard, perfect muscles. It drove Jensen wild. "Please, please," he panted between desperate kisses, not even noticing the fresh load of slick that slid down the crack of his ass to the already-saturated sheets beneath him. "Give it to me, need it, need _you_ , Jared, _please_..."

"Get on your hands and knees," Jared ordered, not waiting for Jensen to comply, instead wrestling the omega into position. Jared slipped one finger into the wetness, groaning at how Jensen's hole seemed to suck his finger in. "Jesus, you're so ready, so wet, just want me to stuff you, fill your hole with my cock, my knot, my come," he growled, leaning forward to press his lips to the back of Jensen's neck.

Jensen's head automatically fell to the side, baring his throat for his alpha in an uncharacteristic gesture of submission. "Yes, _yes_ ," he whined, his hips rocking as he tried to fuck himself on Jared's finger. "Please, just fuck me, want it, want your knot, come on!"

A growl rumbled through Jared's chest as he quickly fingered Jensen open, making sure his omega was properly stretched. When he pulled his fingers out, he brought them to his mouth, licking the slick from his skin. He moaned at the rich, almost musky-sweet taste, and that was the final push; he couldn't hold himself back any longer. He had an omega in heat writhing and begging beneath him; what alpha could resist that?

Jared lined his cock up, nudging at Jensen's entrance for a second before he slid home, a groan escaping him as he did so. It felt so good, so _right_ , to be buried balls-deep in Jensen.

Jensen groaned, long and low, as Jared filled him. Instantly the symptoms of the heat eased, but it didn't make any difference; Jensen still needed his alpha just as much. His hands fisted in the sheets and he canted his hips, hissing when the movement caused Jared to slide even deeper. "Come on," he urged again when Jared seemed to be hesitating. "I'm not gonna break, Jare."

"Good," Jared hissed, pulling back until only the head of his cock was inside Jensen, and then driving in, hard. He set a fast, punishing rhythm, designed to make his knot swell as quickly as possible and give Jensen some relief.

It really didn't take long, but no one was complaining. As soon as Jared's knot breached him, Jensen came hard, screaming his mate's name. He shuddered through three more orgasms before Jared had finished pulsing into him, and when Jared pulled out and left him empty, Jensen rolled into his arms and tilted his face up for slow, lazy kisses.

He'd thought that maybe it would be over now, but he was wrong. Within half an hour of their first mating, the heat returned even stronger than before. Jensen pushed Jared into the mattress and straddled him when it became too much, his body's needs making him bold. "I need to go again," he whimpered, already sinking down onto Jared's hard cock with his head thrown back in ecstasy. "Knot your bitch."

And that was how Jared spent his second day of being mated—knotting his omega over and over again. The third day was more of the same, and the fourth was only slightly less frantic. By the sixth, Jensen's heat had finally worn off, and Jared had teased him by saying that his dick was broken; he didn't think he'd be able to get it up ever again.

A couple of days after that, Jensen and Jared were in the middle of moving in the rest of Jensen's things when Jared realized that Jensen smelled... different. Richer, fuller almost. He chalked it up to Jensen spending a heat with an alpha for the first time, though, and didn't comment on it as he continued carrying boxes into Jensen's room.

Jensen stumbled into the room behind Jared and dropped a particularly heavy box onto his bed, standing back afterwards to pass his hand over his face. "You okay?" he asked his mate, giving him a searching look. "You seem a little distracted."

"Mhm," Jared hummed. He moved to look into the box, smiling when he saw it was stuffed with books. "You smell different now. What kind of books are these?"

Jensen glanced briefly into the box. "Oh, history books mostly. I'm a bit of a nerd." He paused, scenting the air. "Good different or bad? I can't smell anything but you, and you smell normal."

Jared hummed thoughtfully as he dragged in another breath. "Good," he decided, tossing Jensen a grin. "Definitely good."

Jensen returned his smile. "Oh good," he laughed, making a show of being relieved. "You think it's just a post-heat thing? Like, maybe this is how I smell when I'm not about to become a lust-crazed animal."

Jared shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I've only knotted a few other omegas before, when they were in heat, but they never—" A thought hit Jared, and he blinked slowly. The omegas he'd helped through heats before had all been infertile. Jensen wasn't, as far as he knew. "Jen, are you fertile?"

"Yes," Jensen answered, the word drawn out slowly as though he was speaking to a child. They'd discussed having children already; that wouldn't even be an option if Jensen wasn't—When it hit him, his jaw dropped. "You think I'm pregnant?" he gasped. 

Jared shrugged. "It's the only option that makes sense. The omegas I knotted before, they were all infertile. They didn't smell like you do once their heats were done."

Jensen sat down heavily on the bed, causing the box of books to topple onto the floor. He didn't even notice. "Goddamn it," he sighed, his hand already making its way to his abdomen. "This can't be happening."

Jared moved quickly, kneeling in front of Jensen and resting a hand on Jensen's knee. "Jen?" he asked quietly. "Jen, it'll be okay."

"I barely know you, and I'm having your baby," Jensen snapped. "What about this is okay?" He sounded convincingly aggressive, but when he met Jared's gaze he just looked lost. "What are we going to do?"

Jared shrugged. "What mates usually do," he said simply. "We raise our kid. Except in our case, you'll go out and bring home most of the bacon after the child is born, and I'll stay home."

Jensen looked surprised. "Are you sure?" he asked softly. For all that Jared seemed untraditional, and had thus far allowed Jensen to be himself, a part of the reason that Jensen had been so against having children was that he'd been sure Jared would want to raise his babies in the traditional way—with the omega as the stay-at-home parent.

Jared raised one eyebrow. "Unless you'd rather stay at home, Mr. I-Wanna-Be-CEO?"

"No," Jensen said quickly. "I wanna work. I've put too much into this to not take it all the way." He offered Jared a tentative smile. "We're having a baby."

Jared grinned back at Jensen, reaching out to lay a careful hand over Jensen's stomach. "We are," he agreed quietly.

***  
About a month into the pregnancy, Jensen realised that he was starting to fall for Jared. The alpha had been amazing ever since the word 'go', making sure that Jensen had everything he needed and helping him to set out a schedule so that he could keep working for as long as possible, but in recent weeks Jared had started to go above and beyond the call of duty. He'd started _nesting_. 

Jensen had emerged from his room one morning to find Jared in the middle of converting the spare office into a nursery, and there were other little changes around the house that told Jensen it was being readied for the arrival of a new baby. It was kind of sweet, especially since Jensen himself didn't have any nesting instincts yet, and _he_ was the omega. Jared had also become very affectionate. He wasn't pressuring Jensen as some alphas might, but there were moments when his hand would linger on Jensen's abdomen, and he talked to the baby sometimes. Jensen had very nearly melted when Jared had pressed an absent minded kiss to the top of his head last night—and that was when he'd realised. 

He was falling for Jared. And it scared the shit out of him.

Jared could tell that something was off with Jensen. He'd been fine through the pregnancy, up until about a week ago. Now he was... reluctantly affectionate. He returned Jared's touches, initiated a few of his own, and the touches lasted longer. But Jared could see that Jensen was still holding himself back for some reason. Whatever it was, Jared didn't push; he didn't have the right to ask about it, they didn't know each other well enough.

Currently, they were sitting on the couch, Jared leaning against the armrest with Jensen nestled between his legs, their fingers intertwined over Jensen's stomach. Jensen shifted, letting out a frustrated noise. Jared leaned closer, hooking his chin over Jensen's shoulder. "You okay?"

Jensen absolutely did not jump. "Uh, yeah," he answered, briefly leaning into his mate. He'd been trying desperately not to give into what he'd been feeling for Jared lately, but whether it was because of the pregnancy or the mating or because he was just weak, he kept finding himself in these positions. Jared was being wonderful, but he would never be able to give Jensen what he really wanted: a bond. "I just need to pee," was the excuse he offered for his apparent frustration, carefully getting to his feet. "Can't seem to stop. I'm like a tap."

Jared nodded, pausing the movie they'd been watching. Well, Jensen had been watching. Jared had been debating whether or not he'd ever tell Jensen the truth about why he couldn't bond—why he couldn't connect to a beta or omega that way, not after spending the first seventeen years of his life with Aunt Silia constantly breathing down his neck, berating him for not being a "true" alpha. Jared frowned at the thought, getting up and absently snagging a pillow, plumping it up before moving on and tidying blankets and fiddling with the various knick-knacks spread around the living room.

He was still flapping when Jensen returned to the room, and the omega leaned against the door frame, a hand on his stomach and a fond smile on his lips, to watch. "What are you doing?" he asked after a long moment, not unkindly. It was remarkably endearing to see Jared acting like this.

Jared startled, his grip reflexively tightening on the pillow he was holding. For a split second, he expected to see Silia standing there—but it wasn't. It was just Jensen. "Just... fluffing pillows," he mumbled, his face heated as he put the pillow back. "I'm going to get a drink," he muttered, edging past Jensen and practically fleeing for the kitchen. Once inside, he forced himself to take deep breaths. He was safe. He was mated. Silia had no more control over his life. He didn't have to hide.

Jensen hesitated for only a moment before following. "Hey," he said softly as he entered the kitchen, a concerned frown on his face. "What's wrong? I wasn't laughing at you. I think it's kind of sweet."

"I know you weren't laughing," Jared muttered, releasing his white-knuckled grip on the counter to rub one hand over his face. "Just... don't let that be the first thing you say when you walk in a room. Please." He really didn't want to that stupid woman to intrude on his life anymore than she already had.

"Okay," Jensen murmured, nodding. "I'll remember. I'm sorry."

Jared offered his mate a smile that was mostly sincere. "It's fine; you didn't know. No reason you should've known." He walked over, passing a hand over Jensen's stomach and pressing a quick kiss to Jensen's temple before walking back to the living room. "Wanna finish the movie?"

"Yeah, sure." Jensen wanted to stall, wanted to ask why Jared had reacted so strongly to such a simple, innocent question, but he didn't dare. Instead, he curled back up in Jared's arms and tried to convince himself that his mate would tell him when he was ready.

****  
Jensen's own nesting instincts finally kicked in about a month or so before the baby would be born—an unheard-of delay, but then again, and alpha unable to bond was unheard of as well, so they didn't particularly worry about it.

After one argument where Jensen had shouted that the whole reason he was so upset was because he didn't feel protected by his alpha—had as good as told Jared that he _still_ wasn't enough, not even for an omega like Jensen who could take care of himself—Jared had started acting the way he'd observed other alphas act. He made Jensen stop working as much, even from home—not completely, he wasn't suicidal—and he insisted that whenever Jensen was home, he took it easy, wore loose-fitting clothes, and didn't go within three feet of the stairs without Jared there.

Jensen was tolerating this sudden change in behaviour pretty well, but when Jared tried to help him up the stairs for the fifth time in one day, Jensen snapped. "For fuck's sake, Jared, I need to pee!" he yelled, wrenching his arm from Jared's grip. "Do you wanna hold my dick for me while I do that, too? I'm capable of walking up and down the stairs by myself; I don't need you smothering me like this!"

Jared blinked at Jensen, confusion written plain on his face. "I thought... You didn't like me not acting like other alphas?" he asked tentatively, unsure of what kind of footing they were on right now.

Jensen sighed, deflating. "Jared, you can act however you want," he insisted. "But you have to stop mother-henning me. I'm pregnant; I'm not made of glass. I get that this is your heir or whatever inside of me but I know what I'm doing. Walking up the stairs unaided isn't going to hurt the baby."

Jared sighed. "Sorry. It's just—I can't tell when something's wrong, or upsetting you, you know? I can't be your alpha the way another alpha could. I never will be able to be that. It's frustrating." _Because for the first time in my life, I want that._

Jensen managed a weak smile and took Jared's hand. "You don't have to worry about that. I can't be the omega I'm supposed to be either. We're a good fit that way, I guess." He chuckled. "And don't try to read my moods right now. Hormones are a bitch, y'know?"

Jared smiled softly, giving Jensen's hand a squeeze. "Yeah, I know. I've been living with you the past several months, remember?" he teased gently, bending down and pressing a soft kiss to Jensen's lips.

Jensen had been working hard to keep his distance from Jared lately, but kisses didn't happen often and so he let himself enjoy it, humming happily in the back of his throat and looping one arm around Jared's neck to keep it going for just a little longer. "Okay," he sighed when they broke apart, still smiling. "I'm gonna go pee, and you're gonna start dinner. I'll try not to break my neck on the way back downstairs."

Jared grinned, dropping another kiss on Jensen's temple before heading for the kitchen.

***  
"Sir, you know that we can't—"

"I don't care!" Jared snarled, the paper in his hand crumpling. "He's not running the company right; he doesn't deserve to be in a position of authority."

"Regardless, your father—"

"Is jeopardizing the fate of the entire company, and with it the money that countless investors have sunk into the company," Jared interrupted coolly. "You will remove him from the company."

"You don't have the authority to make a call like that, Mr. Padalecki."

"I'm sorry, did you just say I don't have the authority to decide to remove the man from the company? You're forgetting just who you're talking to, and exactly how I can affect your life, personally _and_ professionally, if you don't do as I say." Jared forced himself to remain calm; he wouldn't be able to swing this, to save his father's company and leave _something_ for his mate to have to strengthen his own company, if he didn't remain calm.

The man on the other end of the line was quiet for several moments. "Very well," he conceded stiffly. "I will convince the rest of the board to remove your father from his position of authority. I assume that PadaCorp will be taken over by Ackles Tech, as per the agreement signed before your mating?"

"Of course." Jared let a smug grin steal over his face. His father would be beyond pissed, and Jensen would be pleased to get PadaCorp years earlier than expected. Two birds, one stone.

In the hallway, a very pregnant Jensen withdrew silently from the door, one hand on his stomach and the other on his mouth to stifle the sobs that were threatening to burst from him. Had this been the end-game all along? Mate with Jensen, knock him up and then... take his company? As an alpha, Jared could seize control of any and all of Jensen's assets at any time, and he could take anything Jensen owned from him without question. Since Alan Ackles was still very much alive, the loophole that prevented Jared from touching AcklesTech hadn't been activated yet. Jared knew that, and while Jensen had been falling deeper and deeper in love with him over the past months, it would seem that he and Gerald had been moving to rip the company away from him.

Tears running down his face, Jensen waddled down the hall and began the slow process of climbing the stairs. He had made the mistake of trusting a Padalecki with his life's work—he wasn't going to make the same mistake with his baby.

Jared didn't emerge from the office until well after night had fallen. After he'd finished with the board, the university he worked for had called to set up his classes for the next semester, then he'd had to deal with some of the students that he had been tutoring over the summer.

When Jared finally came out, he immediately knew something was off; the house felt... empty. A quick check revealed no one else in the house but him and the dogs, and Jared felt his pulse skyrocket. Where the hell could Jensen have gone? Jared grabbed his phone, pulling up Jensen's number and calling it, but he didn't pick up, so Jared called the next number down: Alan Ackles.

"Where is he, Ackles? Where is my mate?" he growled as soon as the older alpha picked up.

Alan sighed into the receiver. "He's here, Jared, but you'd be well advised to not come anywhere near this house," he said coldly. "I know your father is a slimy bastard, but I really expected better from you. I've called a meeting with the board first thing tomorrow morning and I will do everything in my power to prevent you from going ahead with this."

"Going ahead with—" Jared growled in frustration. "Ackles, whatever he's told you, it isn't the whole story. I'm coming over there to bring my mate and my child home. You have no rights to keep them from me. I will discuss this with Jensen, and then he can correct whatever half-truths he's told you." Jared snapped his phone shut, striding out of the house and climbing into his car. _Dammit, of all the times for Jensen to overhear stuff,_ he swore to himself as he backed out of the driveway.

***  
"He's coming here, isn't he?" Jensen asked miserably when his father entered his room some time later.

Alan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, but he's not going to get anywhere near you. He may have rights as your alpha but he'll have to kill me before I let him invoke them. I've spoken to Chris and—"

"No, Dad, I'll talk to him," Jensen sighed. "This is my battle, not yours.”

"Jensen, you're an omega. And you're pregnant."

"And he's _my_ mate. If you won't let Jared invoke the bond, then I will."

"You said you hadn't even bonded!"

"You know what I mean!"

"Boys!" Both men fell silent and turned to look at Donna, who was standing in the doorway. "Jared is here."

Jared stood stiffly in the entrance hall, waiting anxiously. As soon as Jensen rounded the corner, he relaxed incrementally. _Jensen's still safe._ Catching the elder Ackles male's eye, though, Jared straightened once more. "I am here for my mate."

"Like hell you are," Alan snarled, baring his teeth.

Jensen winced. "Dad, back off. Let me talk to him."

"Jensen, this worthless, pathetic excuse for—"

"This whatever he is is my mate," Jensen interrupted. "And I need to hear what he has to say. So can you please leave us to talk?" Alan looked at his son, and after a brief but intense moment of silent communication, he relented and turned to go into his office. Jensen approached Jared with caution. "I'm not leaving with you," he said firmly, his jaw set. "But we can talk. Do you want to come into the living room? I'd like to get off my feet."

Jared nodded, following Jensen into the living room. Jensen took the couch, but pointedly lifted his feet into the free space, and Jared took the hint. He sat in the armchair, studying Jensen carefully before he spoke. "What on earth possessed you to leave when you're so close to your due date?" he asked. "What did you hear?"

Jensen rested his hand on his bump, watching it rise and fall with each breath so that he wouldn't have to let Jared see the tears in his eyes. "I heard you blackmailing a member of the board into removing me from the company," he answered, and was surprised when the words came out steady. "I heard you saying that I was incompetent and that I don't deserve to be in a position of authority. I heard you betraying me." And here, his voice cracked. "I wasn't about to let you take my baby away, too."

"Betraying you?" Jared choked out. "Jen, no. I wasn't trying to get you removed from AcklesTech, I was getting _my father_ removed from _PadaCorp._ He's been running it into the ground ever since we mated; I wasn't going to let that slide, not when the whole reason I even had you and our child was because you wanted PadaCorp."

Jensen snorted disbelievingly. "What? That doesn't make any sense. He's your _father_ ; I'm just..." He had no idea how to finish that sentence.

"You're my mate," Jared said firmly. "My father's a bastard who can't even keep a decent eye on his own family, let alone a multi-national company. You're better than him in every way, Jensen. Why would I side with him?"

"He's family," Jensen whispered, and he knew what he was about to say next, but like a bystander watching a train wreck, he was helpless to stop the words. "You can't even bond with me."

Jared jerked like he'd been slapped. "The hell does that have to do with anything?" he demanded, wishing his voice didn't sound wrecked. "Jen, you know I care more about you than I do anyone else."

Jensen closed his eyes. "I don't know that, Jared, because I can't _feel_ it." He sighed. "It doesn't matter. Don't listen to me. I know that's not what you want; it wasn't part of our agreement. I'm just upset and... I don't know."

Jared hesitantly got up, moving to kneel in front of Jensen. It was a submissive position, something no other alpha would ever consider doing, but Jared really couldn't care less. "Jen," he said quietly. "If I could, I'd bond with you. I wish like hell that I could. You deserve it. But I can't, and—" Jared had to swallow down the lump in his throat to make room for his next words "—if you want, after the baby's born and PadaCorp is a part of AcklesTech, we'll divorce."

Jensen reached out with the hand that wasn't on his stomach and touched Jared's face. "I don't want that," he murmured. "And I don't want that for the baby, either. Do you?"

Jared shook his head firmly. "No. God no. I can't imagine—can't imagine trying to live in my— _our_ —house without you there anymore." He hesitantly reached up, his hand hovering over Jensen's baby bump, worrying his lower lip. "I was scared out of my mind," he admitted quietly. "When I realized you'd left."

Jensen covered Jared's hand with his own and brought it down against his stomach, interlocking their fingers. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I just didn't know what else to do. I'm an omega; whatever I act like, I'm still the powerless party in our mating in the eyes of the law. My dad was the only one who could have stopped you, and I couldn't be around you while I thought..."

Jared nodded. "I understand," he murmured. "I just wish that you had talked to me about it, instead of putting both yourself and our child in danger by running. I don't want to lose either of you." He leaned forward and pressed his lips against their joined hands, and then a little higher, against the swell of Jensen's stomach.

"Come home," he whispered against Jensen's stomach, his eyes squeezed shut. "Please?"

"Okay," Jensen whispered back, combing his fingers through Jared's hair. "Let's go home."

***  
Predictably, Alan wasn't happy about Jensen choosing to return with Jared, but he was slightly happier when he heard that Jared hadn't been plotting to remove Jensen from the company.

Harley and Sadie were ecstatic when Jared walked into the house, followed by Jensen. By then, it was closing in on eleven o' clock at night, and both Jared and Jensen were dragging. Upstairs, when Jensen made to turn into his room, Jared stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "You're probably gonna say no, but... Will you sleep in my bed tonight? I just—just wanna know you're near."

Jensen hesitated, but only because the baby had just kicked him in a kidney. "I think," he gasped, grabbing Jared's hand and pressing it to his stomach when the baby kicked again. "That someone likes that idea."

Jared smiled; this was one of the few times he'd felt their kid kick out. "Okay," he said softly, lacing his fingers through Jensen's. "Let's go, then."

The baby had settled down again by the time they were in bed, but Jensen was enjoying having Jared's hand on his stomach enough for the both of them. He snuggled closer, his head resting on Jared's shoulder, and tried to relax. Still, there was something more than a foot wedged beneath his ribs keeping him awake tonight. Jensen sighed. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier," he mumbled. "I was out of line."

Jared rubbed Jensen's shoulder comfortingly. "No, it's fine," he assured his mate. They were quiet for several more moments. "I never told you why I can't bond, did I?" He knew full well that he hadn't, but he didn't know if Jensen really wanted to know or not.

Jensen shook his head as best he could. "No. But you don't have to if you don't want to. I'll stay whether you tell me or not."

"You deserve to know," Jared said quietly, then he fell silent again, marshalling his thoughts. "Father wanted one of each. Alpha, beta, and omega. He got the alpha and omega, but me... I was born with an alpha's body and most of an alpha's mindset, except... I had a lot of omega tendencies. The nesting, the cleaning, basically all of the domestic stuff. Mom and Dad were both busy, Mom with her charities and Dad with the company, so my Aunt Silia was the one who raised me. She's a beta, but she had very strong ideas about how a young alpha should act, and dusting the furniture and vacuuming and all of those other things did not fit in with her ideas. She tried to mold me, to beat me and berate me into her idea of a perfect, maturing alpha. Dad knew what was going on, but he turned a blind eye to it. Told me once that I deserved it, that it was unnatural for an alpha to behave that way. But that woman... For seventeen years, until Mom finally caught her hitting me with a broom, screaming about what a failure I was, how I'd never find a good mate, never be a good enough alpha, she ruled my life. At some point, I shut down emotionally. I didn't care anymore. After she was gone, I slowly started feeling again, but I still... I can't bond. I can love, but whatever part of the brain that would bind me to my mate doesn't work anymore. Nothing's helped."

Jensen's heart was aching by the time Jared finished his story, and he pushed himself up on one arm so that he could see his mate's face. "Jay, I'm so sorry that happened to you," he breathed. "And I'm even more sorry for becoming a part of what she did. God, the amount of times I've pointed out how different you are from other alphas—it's a wonder you don't hate me. But it doesn't matter. You're not any less of an alpha because you're not some cocky, confrontational asshole. You're _my_ alpha, and you're exactly what I need."

Jared let one side of his mouth quirk. "You didn't know, Jen. Nothing you said was anywhere near as bad as anything she—or other people—have said." He tugged Jensen back down, kissing the top of his head. "And you're my omega, even if you are a bit headstrong, so we're even," he teased gently.

Jensen nodded, a soft smile on his lips. "Don't need a bond," he murmured, because suddenly it was true. "Just need you."

Jared returned Jensen's smile. "You've got me."

***  
A few days before his due date, Jensen waddled into the kitchen, where his mate was already preparing breakfast. Jared stopped what he was doing immediately and opened his arms for Jensen, who went willingly and tilted his face up for a kiss. This had become common practice recently, and Jensen was still sharing Jared's bed; neither wanted to be apart after the ordeal that had nearly separated them. Jensen wasn't sure if this would change after the baby was born, but he didn't want to think about that until he had to.

"Morning," he murmured when they broke apart, grinning up at his mate. The dogs, who had been watching Jared cook, were now nosing impatiently at Jensen's swollen ankles, and he sighed. "Tell your mutts that I can't walk them anymore," he grouched good-naturedly. "I'm definitely not cut out for being dragged down the sidewalk these days."

Jared chuckled, kissing Jensen quickly before returning his attention to the pancakes. "Definitely not," he agreed, still smiling. This past week had been one of the best in his life. He transferred the food to plates, ripping two pancakes apart and dropping them in the dogs' food bowls as he passed. "Y'know, we haven't discussed any names for the baby," he commented as he deposited the plates on the top and moved to the cupboard and refrigerator to grab the syrup and butter.

Jensen shrugged. "I have thought about it, but I didn't have a clue. I figured I'd just wait until the birth and decide on a name when I see him or her." He smiled. "I'm open to suggestions though."

Jared hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I've always been partial to the name Mark, if it's a boy. If it's a girl, it'll have to be a very special name, though."

Jensen tilted his head to the side, eyeing Jared curiously. "Oh yeah?" he asked softly. "Why's that?"

Jared shrugged. "I just... I feel like, if we have a daughter, then I want her to have something special, something meaningful. Not that I don't think if we have a son that he deserves the same thing," Jared added hastily, and then buried his face in his hands, chuckling in embarrassment. "Forget I said anything, my filter's obviously not working this morning," he muttered.

But Jensen just laughed as he walked up to Jared, arms going around his waist. "I don't think that's a bad thing," he teased, smiling up at his mate. "Tell me what you're thinking, Jay. Why would a little girl need such a special name?"

"Just, y'know, little girls are supposed to be the apples of their fathers' eyes and all that, and I just thought that... Well, why not let her know that from the beginning?" Jared wrapped his arms around Jensen, leaning down to rest his forehead on his mate's shoulder.

The grin that split Jensen's face was probably wide enough to hurt, but he didn't feel it. He brought a hand up to the back of Jared's neck, fingers tangling in the hair there. "You are just the cutest thing," he chuckled affectionately. "I really hope it's a girl."

Jared laughed. "Just because you said that, it'll be a boy now," he teased, dropping a kiss on Jensen's nose before dipping down to press another one to his mate's lips.

Jensen tightened the fingers he had in Jared's hair and tugged him in closer, melting against him as they kissed. It was slow and so very sweet, enough to make Jensen ache with it. He didn't even notice when his waters broke.

Jared felt a sudden wetness against his front and pulled back. Surely Jensen hadnt—Then he saw the size of the wet spot. "Holy shit, Jen," he choked out. "Your water just broke."

"What?" Jensen asked, breaking out of Jared's embrace to look down at himself. Sure enough, his sweats were drenched, and he was standing in a puddle of water. "Ohmygod," he choked, hands going to his stomach as he met Jared's shocked gaze. "But it's too early!"

"Only by a few days," Jared hastened to reassure him, even though he himself was on the verge of panicking. "Okay, okay. I'll call the doctor and a cab—no way am I driving right now—and grab your bag, okay? Breathe for me, baby." Jared grabbed his phone off of the counter, dialling the numbers for the hospital and the local taxi service as he raced upstairs, grabbing the overnight bag they'd packed the other day, and raced downstairs. "Cab will be here soon, Jen, how you doin?"

"What kind of fucking stupid question is that?" Jensen snapped. He was standing nearly doubled over, one hand braced against the kitchen table while the other rested low on his rounded belly. A strangled cry of agony was ripped from him as another contraction reached its peak. "Fuck, fuck, _fuck_! Did you tell them to hurry?!"

"No, I told them to take their time, maybe pick up a few pizzas," Jared snarked, then immediately apologized. "Sorry, sorry, bad decision." He cautiously reached out, massaging Jensen's lower back. "They'll be here soon, they'll take us to the hospital, and you're gonna give birth to a strong, healthy baby girl or boy," Jared promised.

Jensen groaned, the sound getting higher and higher until it became a whine. He pushed away from the table, causing Jared's hand to fall away from him as he started to pace. "Are you sure?" he demanded, sounding panicked. "I'm early. Only a few days, but what if it makes a difference? What if something's wrong?"

"Jen!" Jared burst, exasperation clear in his voice. "I was a full week early, Meg was two, and Jeff was three weeks late. I'm sure that our baby will be fine." He moved to grab the bag, slinging it over his shoulder when he heard the cab honk at them from outside. "C'mon; she wants out, so let's get her out."

Jensen stopped dead at that, a dazed sort of smile on his lips. "She," he murmured, awed. "You called the baby 'she'." But then another contraction made his knees buckle, and Jared was too busy helping him out to the cab to say anything more. 

Jared never, ever, ever, _ever_ wanted to go through that again. It was the most harrowing day of his life—and the sheer stress probably shaved at least two years off of his life. But after several hours of labor and Jensen cussing him out, swearing that Jared was never getting his knot anywhere _near_ his ass ever again, crushing Jared's hand in his whenever a contraction hit, and begging for Jared to help him, Jared and Jensen both sagged in relief when their baby girl let out her first scream.

"A healthy beta," the nurse announced after performing a cursory check. She snipped the umbilical cord, tied it off, and cleaned the still-screaming child off before wrapping her in a pink blanket and handing her to Jensen.

"She's so beautiful," Jared murmured, gently running the backs of his knuckles over her cheeks.

Sweating and exhausted, Jensen sagged back against the thin hospital pillows with his daughter cradled to his chest, and offered Jared weak but happy a smile. "She looks like a wrinkly pink alien," he announced, an unfamiliar light in his eyes that spoke of breathtaking exhilaration and bone-deep contentment all at once. "She's perfect."

Jared couldn't help his laughter. "She does, and she is," he agreed, leaning over to kiss Jensen softly. "What should we name her?"

"You tell me," Jensen answered, gingerly scooting over and gesturing for Jared to join them on the bed. "You're the one who wanted to call his baby girl something special. Well, she's here. So what's her name?"

Jared chuckled, scooting closer and looping one arm around Jensen, pulling his mate against his side so he could study their daughter. He was already in love with her. "What about Holly Grace Padalecki?"

Jensen took a long look at the baby girl in his arms, and knew that Jared had made the right choice. "It suits her," he said softly, beaming at Jares. "I love it." For reasons he didn't quite understand, he choked off the words that wanted to come next: _I love you_.

***  
Jensen's next heat didn't come until Holly was six months old. In that time, Jared spent every moment he could with their daughter, marveling over the fact that he _had_ a daughter; he had a mate. Jensen returned to work, and both of them were honestly glad that Jensen could get out; he'd been starting to go a bit stir-crazy.

Every night, they spent time together in the living room, watching a movie or tv, or playing video games while Holly played in her playpen, guarded by Harley and Sadie, who had immediately appointed themselves the young beta's furry bodyguards. During the day, Jared juggled teaching his classes with taking care of Holly, and when Jensen came home, both he and Holly were eagerly waiting by the door to greet him. After one last feeding and diaper change, Holly was put to bed, and then Jared and Jensen would go to their bedroom—Jensen hadn't asked to move back into his room, and Jared was afraid to ask if he wanted to.

Honestly, Jared didn't want Jensen to go back to his room—didn't want them to return to the way they'd been before their daughter was born. He liked having Jensen in his arms at night, liked being allowed to constantly touch and cuddle with his mate. He loved his mate, something he never thought could happen.

And at night, after Jensen's breaths had evened out, Jared let himself think that maybe, just maybe, Jensen could love him back.

***  
Jensen's heat was due to start the next day, and it had been decided that Holly and the dogs would stay at Donna and Alan's place—Gerry had been removed from PadaCorp(which was now owned by AcklesTech), and once he had found out who was responsible, declared Jared as good as dead to him for being a "double-crossing little bitch." Needless to say, none of them had much contact with Gerry, and there were rumors that Sherri was looking for a reputable bond-breaker so she could divorce him; she'd told Jared that for many years now, Gerry hadn't been the man she'd married, and she was done trying to get him back. Jared and Jensen had both promised her a place with them if she could break the bond.

Jared dropped Holly and the dogs off at his in-laws', and headed home after saying his goodbyes. He had preparations to make; Jensen had been extremely irritable the past day or two, which did not bode well for the coming heat.

When Jensen got home that night, the house felt empty. No clatter of nails on hardwood as the dogs raced to greet him and demand their evening walks; no hungry cries or happy coos from Holly, asking for or getting attention; no soothing words from Jared, promising her that daddy would be home soon and, in fact, was here right now. This combination of sounds was what Jensen lived for these days, and the silence that greeted him when he walked into their house made him ache. No dogs. No Holly. No Jared, apparently—except, now that he was listening extra carefully, Jensen could hear him moving around in the office. Maybe a class had run late or something. 

With this in mind, Jensen didn't announce his presence. Instead, he hung his jacket up on the bannister so that Jared would know he was home if and when he surfaced, and climbed the stairs. After the day he'd had, a bath sounded awesome.

Once he was in the water, surrounded by bubbles and the faint, relaxing scent of the lavender candles he would never admit to owning even to Jared—despite the fact that he most certainly knew about them and kept replenishing his stock—Jensen allowed his mind to wander. His life had changed so much in the last six months, but in other ways it really hadn't. He was still set up to take over AcklesTech when Alan retired; he was still making a name for himself as the omega who acted like an alpha; he still had a wonderful mate whom he loved more than anything, with the exception of their daughter. And that, really, was the only thing that had changed. They had a daughter now, and his love for Holly grew a little more each and every day, so it didn't matter that she'd completely turned their worlds upside down. She was more than worth it.

Jared was more than worth it, too. It didn't matter that they'd never bond, or that Jared might never love Jensen the way Jensen loved him—he was perfect, and Jensen wouldn't be without him. In fact, for the first time in his life, Jensen was actually looking forward to his heat. They hadn't discussed having more children, but Jared knew that Jensen hadn't taken suppressants this time around and as Jared wasn't making himself scarce, the likelihood was that Jensen would be pregnant again by the end of the week. The thought thrilled him even more than it terrified him. Moreover, the lack of suppressants also meant a lack of the flu-like symptoms he had been assaulted by last time. Jensen's last thought before Jared entered the bathroom and asked, with that beautiful, dimpled grin of his, if he would be coming down for dinner anytime soon, was that hopefully this heat wouldn't be as unforgiving as the last.

He couldn't have been more wrong. When he woke up several hours earlier than usual the next morning, drenched in sweat and slick down to his thighs, his first thought was that if Jared didn't knot him _right fucking now_ he was going to spontaneously combust. Unfortunately, his second thought as he flung his arm out and encountered nothing but cold sheets was that his mate wasn't there. "No..." Jensen moaned pitifully, thrashing in the sheets that were already tangled around his legs. Somewhere in the back of his heat-hazed mind, he registered the sound of the shower running and realised that Jared hadn't abandoned him. The knowledge that his mate would be back soon didn't help him right now, however, and Jensen quickly reached the conclusion that he would have to take matters into his own hands. He wriggled and writhed until the sheets around him fell away, and then started on the difficult task of coordinating himself enough to get his boxers off. No sooner had they hit the floor—with a decidedly disgusting wet sound—than Jensen had three fingers inside his body, and he was sobbing as he fucked himself down onto them. It wasn't anywhere near enough, but it would do for now.

When Jared walked out of the shower, the last thing he expected to see was Jensen on his back, the sheets kicked to the floor, and three fingers in his ass, the slick produced by his heat making slight squelching noises that somehow weren't disgusting at all. Jared was surprised that Jensen was up; it was only eight in the morning, and usually Jensen didn't wake up until at least nine, usually later if he didn't have to work.

The soft whining sounds falling from his mate's lips brought him back to the problem at hand, however, and Jared growled, dropping the towel as he stalked forward and climbed up onto the bed. "What do you think you're doing?" he hissed, letting instinct guide him as he moved Jensen's hand out of the way, grabbing his mate's other wrist and pinning them both above Jensen's head. "That's _mine._ Only I get to touch you like that."

Jensen moaned and arched into Jared, his legs already lifting to wrap around his mate's waist. "Not like I got a stranger to do it," he protested weakly. "And _you_ weren't here. Had to do _something_."

Jared growled again, dipping down to plunder Jensen's mouth. "You weren't supposed to be awake," he muttered, rolling his hips down into Jensen's. "Now that you are, however..." Jared moved his attention from Jensen's mouth to his neck, nibbling and licking the flesh. "Remember our mating ceremony? I marked you right here," he murmured.

"I remember," Jensen panted impatiently, somehow managing to convey his irritation in the way he ground his hips up into Jared. " _Please_ fuck me, Jay, it's worse than last time, gonna die..."

"Shh," Jared hummed, reaching down with one hand to start fingering Jensen, groaning at the slick heat that surrounded his finger. "I've got you, babe, not gonna let you go." It only took a few moments for Jensen to be as open as possible, and truth be told, Jared couldn't have waited any longer than that, not with how Jensen was writhing and moaning beneath him. Jared pulled back long enough to line his cock up with one hand, and then sank inside Jensen with one long push, groaning at how perfectly Jensen's hole clutched at his cock.

Jensen sobbed in relief as soon as Jared entered him, his heat receding almost immediately. Somewhere deep down, he instinctively knew that the strength of the heats had nothing to do with the suppressants and everything to do with Jared, but he was still too desperate to put that knowledge into coherent thought. Jared hadn't been in him for more than a few seconds when Jensen started to writhe on his cock, his body demanding a thorough fucking.

Jared set a hard, punishing pace, withdrawing almost completely before slamming home. The first fucking of the heat had to be fast; it signaled to the omega's body that there was a viable mate nearby, allowed the omega's body to prepare to receive an alpha's seed. Jared continued to thrust, even as he felt his knot begin to swell, and he reached one hand between their bodies, stroking Jensen's cock. "C'mon baby, come for me, wanna feel you come on my cock," he murmured into Jensen's neck.

It didn't take more than a few strokes to have Jensen coming hard, crying out in pleasure as his body shook with the force of his orgasm. He came again almost straight away when Jared tied with him, his fingers scrabbling for purchase on Jared's back. The intensity of it all was overwhelming and he clung to his mate, riding it out and still begging for more.

When Jensen came, Jared bit down, hard, on the junction between Jensen's neck and shoulder, hard enough to sink his teeth into Jensen's flesh and draw blood. _This_ was a claiming mark; something that would warn all other alphas that Jensen was _his_ , was Jared's; no one else would ever be allowed to touch his omega. Jared growled, jerking as Jensen's orgasm wrung his own from his body, his teeth digging in even further into Jensen's flesh. When he finished, he carefully withdrew his teeth, lapping up the blood that had flowed. "Love you," he mumbled against Jensen's skin, still cleaning up the blood. _Love you so much, never gonna let you go, you're mine, forever._

As seemed to always happen after a knotting, Jensen's heat started to ease off just enough that he could think clearly—which meant that he was fully aware that the feelings of love and possessiveness washing over him were not his own. He tensed up in Jared's arms. "What did you just say?" he gasped as Jared's words registered. Jared had said that he loved him, and Jensen's neck was throbbing in time with his racing heartbeat. _Oh my god_. "Jared, I think..." _I love you, I love you so much, please feel this, Jared, I Iove you._

Jared's head jerked back and he stared at Jensen in shock. He could feel love emanating... from the man beneath him. "Jen?" he breathed, hardly daring to hope—but what other explanation could there be? "Oh, my God, Jen, we—we _bonded._ " He lunged down, kissing Jensen gleefully. He was bonded!

Jensen kissed back just as eagerly, over the moon that not only did the man he loved love him back, but that they would be bound together for the rest of their lives—but their movements caused Jared to slip free of Jensen, and the heat immediately flared once more. "Jay," he groaned, instinctively sending his need along the weak but definitely growing bond between them. "I love you so much, but we have to go again."

Jared grinned, rolling them both so that Jared was on his back this time. "We've got plenty of time to enjoy this afterwards," he reminded Jensen, running his hands over Jensen's chest and stomach. "After your heat, after you're full of me once again."

Jensen moaned in agreement, sinking back down onto Jared's cock and grinding his hips. "Want another baby, Jared," he managed to sigh, his head tipped back so that his mate could clearly see the claiming mark he knew was there. "So come on. Breed me."

Jared couldn't stop himself from reaching up to touch the mark if he'd wanted to. "Of course," he murmured, smiling as his other hand curled over Jensen's hip. "Love you so much, Jen, you have no idea." _But then again,_ he realized, feeling the waves of love coming through the rapidly-strengthening bond, _maybe you do._

Jensen had honestly had no clue how much Jared loved him, but by the time his heat finally ended a few days later, he thought he got the picture. They'd fucked almost constantly for five days, and at no point during that time did Jensen not have waves of love and adoration flowing to him down the bond, along with lust and desire and a red-hot need that might have been his own heat reflected back at him. He had a sneaking suspicion that it had been the same for Jared, too.

It took about five minutes after they untied for the last time for them to realise that they were starving. Barely pausing long enough to pull underwear on, they raced down the stairs and into the kitchen, Jensen pulling an old and dusty omega trait from the depth of his instincts and draping himself all over Jared while the alpha rummaged through the fridge. "Has my scent changed yet?" he asked eagerly, kissing the side of Jared's neck. "Please tell me it took. Tell me I'm pregnant again."

Jared laughed, looking in the meat drawer. "Babe, all I can smell is us right now; we both need showers. Afterwards, I promise, I'll check, okay?" With a triumphant noise, Jared produced sandwich fixings which he spread over the counter. He turned around tugged Jensen into his arms, nuzzling his mark. "God, love seeing that on you," be breathed.

Jensen giggled and squirmed, but didn't pull away. "Love having it on me," he whispered back, before sinking his teeth lightly into Jared's bare shoulder. "Took you long enough to put it there. Thought you didn't want me." He was mostly joking, and knew the bond would tell Jared that. God, they were _bonded_ now. The thought sent a shiver of excitement through Jensen. _Finally_.

Jared hummed wordlessly, unable to keep the smile off of his face. "How could I not want a mate as gorgeous as you?" he teased.

Jensen laughed, and pulled back for a kiss. "You're full of shit," he chuckled; "but I love you for it. Now hurry up, feed me and then let's shower—I wanna know."

They hurried through breakfast and showering, and then once they were back in their bedroom, Jared sank to his knees in front of Jensen, leaning forward to nose at Jensen's stomach, inhaling. After a few seconds, he got to his feet and tugged Jensen in for a kiss. "You're pregnant," he murmured.

Jensen felt almost overwhelmed by the excitement that crashed over him—his own and Jared’s. When Jared straightened, he threw his arms around Jared’s neck, tugging his mate’s head down for a kiss. “We’re gonna have a baby,” he breathed.

Jared smiled into the kiss. “Yes, we are. We’re gonna have a family.”

And that sounded absolutely perfect to Jensen.


End file.
